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John Rich turns clothing designer for Redneck Riviera line

COUNTRY STYLE: his April 1, 1012 file photo shows Big Kenny, left, John Rich, of musical group Big and Rich. Photo: Associated Press

Country star John Rich has become the latest celebrity to add fashion designer to his resumé by launching his own Redneck Riviera apparel line.

The “Shuttin’ Detroit Down” hitmaker reveals the project has been a few years in the making after realizing no one had capitalized on the Redneck Riviera name, which is used by locals to describe the Gulf Coast.

He tells Billboard.com, “I started putting together a team of people from manufacturers to developers to people in the apparel world, and started developing out this line.

“It was a slow process – and I wanted it to be. Redneck Riviera is not my phrase. That’s America’s phrase. Everybody calls it that. I wanted to make sure that the stuff I presented lived up to the iconic image that is Redneck Rivera in reality. So I took my time, and last year, I decided that we had it locked in how it needed to look and how it needed to be, so let’s put it out. So in 2014, it launches nationwide.”

The 150-piece collection will include T-shirts and caps for fans of all ages.

Rich follows in the footsteps of fellow creative musicians Toby Keith, Adam Levine, Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Wiz Khalifa, who have all launched their own fashion lines in recent years.